“You know as much as this was done to raise awareness and support our charity, seeing the expressions on the children’s faces as basically a fairy tale came to life was priceless,” said Councilman Marcus Dolny, Topton Memorial Pool Aquatics Facility Manager.

His favorite part was seeing not only children, but even adults get excited and enjoy seeing Mermaid Avalon.

“I’m very glad we had the opportunity for them to be here and I hope it’s not the last time either.”

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Doly explained that every year the Topton Memorial Pool recognizes a special interest and raises awareness about it.

“This year, myself and the staff decided to have an Eco-Friendly Splash Bash,” he said. “We were hoping to give them a better understanding of how they affect their environment.”

As part of those festivities, Dolny said Topton Pool welcomed some very special guests, Mermaid Avalon and Captain Jack and his friends from Roaming Pirates Inc. Dolny knows Avalon from his days working at Wild Water Kingdom as a lifeguard.

“Mermaid Avalon, known as the Lehigh Valley’s Swimming Mermaid, through her talents, helps teach children and adults alike about marine conservation and education,” said Dolny. “She is quickly growing in popularity.”

Mermaid Avalon has appeared at zoos, private parties, and a variety of other locations.

“The Topton Memorial Pool was very happy to have them come and be part of the evening,” he said. “(Highlight) was actually getting to see Mermaid Avalon swim with the kids.”

Attended by about 250 pool patrons, Splash Blast also included a display on how to easily and cost effectively make rain barrels to conserve water, posters showed how long it takes for common trash thrown in the water to decompose, and a meet and greet with Mermaid Avalon and her Friends from Roaming Pirates Inc., a Lehigh Valley-based marketing company who has become part of Mermaid Avalon’s cast of friends.

“For our particular event we decided to raise money for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society,” said Dolny. “Sea Shepherd was recommended by Mermaid Avalon and after researching it we decided it was a great suggestion.”

According to www.seashepherd.org, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, established in 1977, is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Their mission is to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.

“For a small donation patrons could swim with Mermaid Avalon and in addition there will be collection bins left at the Pool for the remainder of our season,” said Dolny. “Already approaching $200 for Sea Shepherd, our goal is to reach $500 by the end of the season.”

For more about Mermaid Avalon, visit http://mermaidavalon.blogspot.com/.